The 21-year-old singer explained why she decided to reveal her sexuality on TV. "I have deep gratitude for the Filipinos because they are the ones who know who I really am. ... I don't know what the problem is because for me, there is no problem with that. So now I ask for forgiveness from those who don't understand. And those who cannot accept. I apologize: I understand you."

Questions about her sexuality began to spread earlier this year when photos of Pempengco and a mystery girl, whom many speculated was her girlfriend, surfaced online. "I just want to say to all of you that I feel very light — that I can leave the house knowing I am not hiding anything," she said on the talk show Sunday. "I love myself, that's why I'm able to do this."

Pempengco first rose to international fame after Ellen DeGeneres discovered a video of her on YouTube and invited her to perform on her daytime show in 2007. Since then, Pempengco — known to many as just Charice — has also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and has performed alongside Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli, among others.

Pempengco recurred during Glee's second season as Sunshine Corazon, a foreign exchange student with killer pipes who became one of New Directions' toughest rivals when she transferred to Vocal Adrenaline. Pempengco also served as a judge on The X Factor Philippines last year.